The present invention is generally directed toward a new and improved vehicle luggage rack or carrier of the type comprising a pair of longitudinally spaced, laterally extending crossrails, and a pair of laterally spaced, longitudinally extending side rails, the adjacent ends of the side and crossrails being supported at each of the four corners of the luggage rack by means of a stanchion member, which stanchion members are constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention. In particular, the stanchion members each comprise upper and lower stanchion parts which are adapted to be fabricated of the same or different materials, depending upon the particular application of the luggage rack, with the upper stanchion parts including mounting bosses which are adapted for telescopic engagement with the confronting ends of the side and crossrails for supporting the rails upon the vehicle. The upper stanchion part of each of the stanchion members is secured to the associated lower stanchion part by a single fastening element in the form of a threaded screw, bolt or the like which extends generally vertically downwardly through the lower stanchion part into the associated vehicle roof. The luggage rack is preferably provided with a plurality of luggage supporting slats which are also intended to be secured to the vehicle roof by the same fastening elements which secure the upper stanchion parts to the associated lower stanchion parts. An additional feature of the present invention resides in the fact that utility bars may be provided at the forward and rearward ends of the luggage rack and be secured thereto by the aforementioned fastening members, thereby minimizing the component parts of the present invention to the extreme.
It is accordingly a general object of the present invention to provide a new and improved luggage rack or carrier having a plurality of stanchion members, each of which comprises upper and lower stanchion parts or sections which may be fabricated of the same or different materials.
It is a related object of the present invention to provide a new and improved luggage carrier of the above-described type wherein the upper stanchion parts of each of the stanchion members includes means for supporting the associated side and crossrails of the luggage carrier.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a new and improved luggage carrier, as above described, wherein the upper stanchion part of each of the stanchion members is secured to the associated lower stanchion part by means of a single fastening element.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a new and improved luggage carrier of the above-described type which may be operatively associated with utility bars that extend generally laterally of the luggage rack and are secured to the stanchion members by the same fastening means securing the upper stanchion parts to the associated lower stanchion parts, whereby the luggage rack may be adapted to carry relatively large or bulky loads, such as ladders, boats, large parcels, etc.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a new and improved luggage carrier of the above-described type wherein the number of different component parts required for the entire assemblage is minimized to the extreme so as to reduce tooling and inventory costs accordingly.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a new and improved luggage carrier which is of a pleasant appearance, is economical to manufacture and will have a long and effective operational life.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.